Safety scheme for gesture-based game system

ABSTRACT

Technologies are generally described for a safety scheme for a gesture-based game. In some examples, a method performed under control of a gesture-based game system may include determining whether an obstacle exists within a playing space associated with a game being currently played on the gesture-based game system, and generating in a display area associated with the game a barrier image associated with the obstacle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/700,968, filed Nov. 29, 2012, which is a National Stage Entry ofInternational application number PCT/KR11/09324, filed Dec. 2, 2011, thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

Camera technology and gesture recognition technology have experiencedphenomenal growth in the last few years. Game devices have adopted suchtechnologies. For example, a game device may utilize a camera to captureand recognize a gesture of a player and use the recognized gesture ofthe player as an input signal for playing a game. Game softwaredevelopers have developed various types of gesture-based games for suchgame devices. Such gesture-based games may require an enough playingspace within which the players may make broad bodily movements, i.e.,gestures. The playing space may need to be obstacle-free so as to ensurea safe gaming experience for the players and thus, the gesture-basedgames may instruct the players to move any obstacles located within theplaying space before starting the game. However, when an obstacle, whichis immovable or difficult to move, is located within the playing space,the players may not be able to start the playing of the game due to theobstacle.

SUMMARY

In an example, a method performed under control of a gesture-based gamesystem may include determining whether an obstacle exists within aplaying space associated with a game being currently played on thegesture-based game system; and generating in a display area associatedwith the game a barrier image associated with the obstacle.

In another example, a gesture-based game system may include a locationdetermination unit configured to obtain player location information of aplayer and obstacle location information of an obstacle in a playingspace during a playing of a game using the gesture-based game system; adistance determination unit configured to determine a distance betweenthe player and the obstacle based at least in part on the playerlocation information and the obstacle location information; a virtualdistance determination unit configured to determine in a display area avirtual distance between an avatar image associated with the player anda barrier image associated with the obstacle based at least in part onthe determined distance; and an image generation unit configured togenerate in the display area the avatar image and the barrier image,separated from each other by the virtual distance.

In yet another example, a computer-readable storage medium may havestored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response toexecution, cause a gesture-based game system to perform operations,including determining a distance between a player of a game and anobstacle in the proximity of the player in a playing space; comparing ina display area a virtual distance between an avatar image correspondingto the player and a barrier image corresponding to the obstacle with apredetermined distance limit; generating in the display area the avatarimage; and generating in the display area the barrier image separated bythe virtual distance from the avatar image, if the virtual distance isshorter than the predetermined distance limit.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be inany way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments,and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and featureswill become apparent by reference to the drawings and the followingdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The foregoing and other features of this disclosure will become moreapparent from the following description and appended claims, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that thesedrawings depict only several embodiments in accordance with thedisclosure and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of itsscope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity anddetail through use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 schematically shows an illustrative example of an environmentwhere a player interacts with a gesture-based game system in thevicinity of an obstacle;

FIG. 2(A) schematically shows an illustrative example of an environmentwhere a player interacts with a gesture-based game system in thevicinity of an obstacle;

FIG. 2(B) schematically shows an illustrative example of a display areain cases where a player interacts with a gesture-based game system inthe vicinity of an obstacle as in FIG. 2(A);

FIG. 3(A)-(B) schematically show an illustrative example of anenvironment where a player interacts with a gesture-based game system inthe vicinity of an obstacle;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram illustrating an examplearchitecture for providing a safety scheme for a gesture-based gamesystem;

FIG. 5 shows an example flow diagram of a process for providing a safetyscheme for a gesture-based game system;

FIG. 6 illustrates computer program products that can be utilized toprovide a safety scheme for a gesture-based game system; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device thatcan be utilized to provide a safety scheme for a gesture-based gamesystem.

The depicted embodiments are all arranged in accordance with at leastsome embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings,similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless contextdictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in thedetailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting.Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made,without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matterpresented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of thepresent disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated inthe Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, anddesigned in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which areexplicitly contemplated herein.

This disclosure is generally drawn, inter alia, to methods, apparatus,systems, devices, and computer program products related to a safetyscheme for gesture-based game systems.

Briefly stated, technologies are generally described for a gesture-basedgame system configured to provide in a display area a barrier imageassociated with an obstacle within a playing space associated with agesture-based game being currently played on the gesture-based gamesystem. In some examples, the gesture-based game system may generate thebarrier image so that the player cannot move over the barrier image. Insome examples, the barrier image may help to limit the movement of theplayer, so as to prevent or avoid the collision between the player andthe obstacle.

In some examples, the gesture-based game system may generate the barrierimage based at least in part on the physical locations of the player andthe obstacle in the playing space. In such cases, the gesture-based gamesystem may determine the location of the barrier image in the displayarea based at least in part on the physical locations of the player andthe obstacle and/or the distance between the player and the obstacle.

In some examples, the gesture-based game system may generate an avatarimage associated with the player, as well as the barrier image. In someexamples, the barrier image may limit the movement of the avatar image,that is, act as a boundary or borderline for the movement of the avatarimage, so as to prevent or avoid the collision between the player andthe obstacle.

In some examples, the gesture-based game system may generate the avatarimage and the barrier image based at least in part on the physicallocations of the player and the obstacle in the playing space. In suchcases, the gesture-based game system may determine the locations of theavatar image and the barrier image in the display area based at least inpart on the physical locations of the player and the obstacle and/or thedistance between the player and the obstacle. In some examples, thegesture-based game system may determine a virtual distance between theavatar image and the barrier image based at least in part on thedistance between the player and the obstacle, and locate the barrierimage separated by the virtual distance from the avatar image in thedisplay area.

In some examples, the player may install or place an object in theplaying space, so that the object may act as an obstacle in thegesture-based game. In such cases, the obstacle may be used foradjusting a difficulty level of the game. For example, in a shootinggame, the range of movement for the avatar image may be reduced due tothe obstacle, and thus the player may have difficulty controlling theavatar image in the game. Alternatively, the obstacle may be used as apart of the game. For example, the player may use the obstacle by ridingover the obstacle in a skateboarding game, or the player may hidehimself/herself behind the obstacle in a shooting game.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an illustrative example of an environmentwhere a player interacts with a gesture-based game in the vicinity of anobstacle, in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein.As depicted in FIG. 1, a player 150 may play a gesture-based game usinga gesture-based game system 100. The gesture-based game may be played byhaving camera 120 recognize gestures made by player 150, which serve asplayer input. By way of example, but not limitation, gesture-based gamesplayed on system 100 may include a shooting game such as a first-personshooter game, dancing, racing, extreme sports (such as skateboarding,snowboarding, motocross, etc.), boxing game, or golf.

In some embodiments, gesture-based game system 100 may include a gameconsole 110, a camera 120, a display 130 and an audio device 140. Gameconsole 110 may facilitate execution of a gesture-based game. Althoughillustrated as discrete components, various components of gesture-basedgame system 100 may be divided into additional components, combined intofewer components, or eliminated altogether, depending on the desiredimplementation. For example, camera 120 may be included as a componentof the game console 110.

Game console 110 may be configured to run or execute the gesture-basedgame. By way of example, but not limitation, when player 150 inserts agame, such as, but not limited to, a compact disk (CD) or a game digitalversatile disk (DVD), of the gesture-based game into game console 110,game console 110 may start executing the gesture-based game. In someembodiments, gesture-based game system 100 may be connected to a cloudgame server or a component of a cloud game system, and game console 110may run or execute the gesture-based game provided by the cloud gameserver or the cloud game system.

Camera 120 may be configured to capture, detect, and/or recognize aperson within a predetermined detectable area (e.g., field of view ofcamera 120) and recognize the person as player 150 of the game run orexecuted by game console 110. Camera 120 may be further configured tocapture, detect, and/or recognize an obstacle 160 within a playing spaceassociated with the game run or executed by game console 110. Camera 120may be one of a set of input devices associated with gesture-based gamesystem 100. In some embodiments, camera 120 may detect a movement ofplayer 150 and transmit the detected movement, as an electrical signal,to game console 110. By way of example and not limitation, camera 120may be capable of determining gesture depth, facial feature recognition,gesture recognition, and may further include a microphone for audioand/or voice recognition. Accordingly, camera 120 may include a widevariety of imaging devices which may have the capability of recognizingplayer 150 and/or recognizing his/her gestures, and so forth.

Display 130 may be configured to display the gesture-based game run orexecuted by game console 110. In some embodiments, display 130 maydisplay an avatar image that is associated with player 150. In someembodiments, display 130 may also display a barrier image that isassociated with obstacle 160, so as to aid in reducing the risk ofcollision between player 150 and obstacle 160 during playing thegesture-based game, in accordance with various embodiments. In someembodiments, game console 110 may determine whether obstacle 160 existswithin a playing space associated with a game being currently played byplayer 150 based at least in part on the images captured, detected,and/or recognized by camera 120, and further instruct display 130 todisplay the barrier image based at least in part on the determination.By way of example, display 130 may include, but is not limited to, aliquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), a lightemitting diode (LED) backlight display device, or other display device.

Audio device 140 is one of a set of output devices of gesture-based gamesystem 100. Audio device 140 may output background music or soundeffects of the gesture-based game as the game proceeds. Audio device 140may be provided as a part of display 130 as shown in FIG. 1 or as aseparate device.

FIG. 2(A) schematically shows an illustrative example of an environmentwhere a player interacts with a gesture-based game system in thevicinity of an obstacle in accordance with at least some embodimentsdescribed herein. FIG. 2(B) schematically shows an illustrative exampleof a display area in cases where a player interacts with a gesture-basedgame system in the vicinity of an obstacle as in FIG. 2(A) in accordancewith at least some embodiments described herein. Although FIGS. 2(A)-(B)illustrate one player interacting with gesture-based game system 100, itshould be appreciated by one skilled in the relevant art that two ormore players may interact with the gesture-based game system 100 at thesame time.

As depicted in FIG. 2(A), player 150 may interact with gesture-basedgame system 100, by playing a certain game, and obstacle 160 may belocated within a playing space associated with the game played by player150. Camera 120 may capture, detect, and/or recognize images of player150 and obstacle 160, and gesture-based game system 100 may determine alocation of player 150 and a location of obstacle 160 in the playingspace based at least in part on the captured image. In some embodiments,gesture-based game system 100 may display an avatar image 200 and abarrier image 210 on display 130 based at least in part on thedetermined locations of player 150 and obstacle 160. In someembodiments, barrier image 200 may be immovable during playing of thegame by player 150. Although FIG. 2(B) illustrates avatar image 200 inhuman form or as an animate object, it should be appreciated by oneskilled in the relevant art that any images, such as, for example, arifle image in case of a first-person shooter game or some otherinanimate object, may be displayed instead of a human-shaped image.Also, it is possible to display game scenes (and a barrier image, ifnecessary) without displaying avatar image 200.

In some embodiments, gesture-based game system 100 may determine adistance d between player 150 and obstacle 160 based at least in part onthe determined locations of player 150 and obstacle 160 in the playingspace. In some embodiments, gesture-based game system 100 may determinea virtual distance d_(v) between avatar image 200 and barrier image 210based at least in part on distance d between player 150 and obstacle 160on the display. In some embodiments, gesture-based game system 100 maylocate barrier image 210 on display 130 separated by virtual distanced_(v) from avatar image 200.

By way of example, but not limitation, virtual distance d_(v) betweenavatar image 200 and barrier image 210 may be in proportion to distanced between player 150 and obstacle 160. Further, the ratio betweenvirtual distance d_(v) and distance d may vary depending on the gameplayed on gesture-based game system 100. In some embodiments,gesture-based game system 100 may determine virtual distance d_(v) basedon a predetermined safety margin, as well as distance d between player150 and obstacle 160. As a non-limiting example of establishing thesafety margin, gesture-based game system 100 may set virtual distanced_(v) to be less than an exact value proportional to distance d betweenplayer 150 and obstacle 160. The safety margin may vary depending on thegame being played on gesture-based game system 100.

FIGS. 3(A)-(B) schematically show an illustrative example of anenvironment where a player interacts with a gesture-based game system inthe vicinity of an obstacle in accordance with at least some embodimentsdescribed herein. Although FIGS. 3(A)-(B) illustrate one playerinteracting with gesture-based game system 100, it should be appreciatedby one skilled in the relevant art that two or more of players mayinteract with the gesture-based game system at the same time.

As depicted in FIGS. 3(A)-(B), player 150 may interact withgesture-based game system 100, by playing a certain game, and obstacle160 may be located within a playing space associated with the gameplayed by player 150. Camera 120 may capture, recognize, and/or detectan image of player 150 and obstacle 160, and gesture-based game system100 may determine a location of player 150 and a location of obstacle160 in the playing space based at least in part on the captured image.In some embodiments, gesture-based game system 100 may display avatarimage 200 on display 130 based at least in part on the determinedlocation of player 150. Although FIGS. 3(A)-(B) illustrate avatar image200 in human form or as an animate object, it should be appreciated byone skilled in the relevant art that any other inanimate images may bepresented instead of a human-shaped image.

In some embodiments, gesture-based game system 100 may estimate ordetermine a maximum distance over which player 150 may move freelywithout bumping into obstacle 160. By way of example, but notlimitation, player 150 can move a maximum distance X_(max) in onedimensional space.

In some embodiments, maximum distance X_(max) may be the distancebetween player 150 and obstacle 160. Accordingly, gesture-based gamesystem 100 may determine maximum distance X_(max), with a safety margintaken into consideration. In such cases, gesture-based game system 100may determine maximum distance X_(max) by determining the distancebetween player 150 and obstacle 160 and subtracting the safety marginfrom the distance between player 150 and obstacle 160. By way ofexample, but not limitation, the safety margin may vary depending on thegame being played on gesture-based game system 100.

In some embodiments, gesture-based game system 100 may estimate ordetermine a maximum virtual distance Y_(max) over which avatar image 200may move in a display area based at least in part on the determinedmaximum distance X_(max). In some embodiments, maximum virtual distanceY_(max) may be in proportion to maximum distance X_(max). By way ofexample, but not limitation, the ratio between maximum virtual distanceY_(max) and maximum distance X_(max) may vary depending on the gameplayed on gesture-based game system 100.

In some embodiments, gesture-based game system 100 may compare maximumvirtual distance Y_(max) with a predetermined distance limit Y_(limit),which may set a boundary or borderline for the movement of avatar image200. By way of example, but not limitation, a predetermined distancelimit Y_(limit) may vary depending on the game being played ongesture-based game system 100. For example, in an example gameillustrated in FIGS. 3(A)-(B), avatar image 200 may move along road 300in the display area, that is, player 150 may make gestures so as not tostray from road 300 in the display area. In such cases, distance limitY_(limit) may be associated with, for example, the shape, width, etc. ofroad 300.

In cases for which maximum virtual distance Y_(max) is longer than orequal to distance limit Y_(limit), player 150 may be unlikely to bumpinto obstacle 160 during the playing of the game, since avatar image 200associated with player 150 may move within distance limit Y_(limit). Onthe other hand, in cases for which maximum virtual distance Y_(max) isshorter than distance limit Y_(limit), as illustrated in FIG. 3(A),player 150 may possibly bump into obstacle 160 during the playing of thegame. In some embodiments, gesture-based game system 100 may generate ordisplay on display 130 barrier image 210 as illustrated in FIG. 3(B). Insuch cases, displayed barrier image 210 may limit the movement of avatarimage 200, that is, act as a new boundary or borderline for the movementof avatar image 200, so as to prevent or avoid the collision betweenplayer 150 and obstacle 160. As non-limiting examples, barrier image 210may include a tree image, a wall image or a rock image.

Although FIGS. 3(A)-(B) illustrate that player 150 and avatar image 200move in one dimensional space for ease of explanation, it should beappreciated by one skilled in the relevant art that player 150 andavatar image 200 may move in three dimensional space. That is, the aboveprocess for preventing the collision between player 150 and obstacle 160may also be performed in backward and/or forward directions or in upwardand/or downward directions, as well as in right and/or left directions.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram illustrating an examplearchitecture for providing a safety scheme for a gesture-based gamesystem in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein. Asdepicted, gesture-based game system 400 may include a locationdetermination unit 410, a distance determination unit 420, a virtualdistance determination unit 430 and an image generation unit 440.Although illustrated as discrete components, various components may bedivided into additional components, combined into fewer components, oreliminated altogether while being contemplated within the scope of thedisclosed subject matter.

Location determination unit 410 may be configured to obtain playerlocation information of a player and obstacle location information of anobstacle in a playing space during playing of a game using gesture-basedgame system 400. In some embodiments, location determination unit 410may obtain the player location information and the obstacle locationinformation based at least in part on the image of the player and theobstacle captured by a camera (not shown).

Distance determination unit 420 may be configured to determine adistance between the player and the obstacle in the playing space. Insome embodiments, distance determination unit 420 may determine thedistance between the player and the obstacle based at least in part onthe player location information and the obstacle location informationobtained by location determination unit 410.

Virtual distance determination unit 430 may be configured to determinein a display area a virtual distance between an avatar image associatedwith the player and a barrier image associated with the obstacle. Insome embodiments, virtual distance determination unit 430 may determinethe virtual distance based at least in part on the distance between theplayer and the obstacle in the playing space, as determined by distancedetermination unit 420. For example, virtual distance determination unit430 may determine the virtual distance to be in proportion to thedistance between the player and the obstacle in the playing space, asdetermined by distance determination unit 420. By way of example, butnot limitation, the ratio between the virtual distance and the distancemay vary depending on the game played on gesture-based game system 400.In some embodiments, virtual distance determination unit 430 maydetermine the virtual distance based at least in part on the determineddistance received from distance determination unit 420 and apredetermined safety margin. Thus, the predetermined safety margin mayvary depending on the game played on gesture-based game system 400.

Image generation unit 440 may be configured to generate in the displayarea the avatar image and the barrier image, separated from each otherby the virtual distance. In some embodiments, image generation unit 440may generate the barrier image in the display area, if the virtualdistance determined by virtual distance determination unit 430 isshorter than a predetermined distance limit. Thus, the predetermineddistance limit may vary depending on the game played on gesture-basedgame system 400.

FIG. 5 shows an example flow diagram of a process for providing a safetyscheme for a gesture-based game system, in accordance with at least someembodiments described herein. The method in FIG. 5 may be implemented ina gesture-based game system including location determination unit 410,distance determination unit 420, virtual distance determination unit 430and image generation unit 440 discussed above. An example process mayinclude one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated byone or more blocks 500, 510, 520, 530 and/or 540. Although illustratedas discrete blocks, various blocks may be divided into additionalblocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on thedesired implementation. Processing may begin at block 500.

At block 500, the gesture-based game system may determine locations of aplayer and an obstacle in a playing space associated with a game beingcurrently played on the gesture-based game system. In some embodiments,the gesture-based game system may determine the locations of the playerand the obstacle based at least in part on the image of the player andthe obstacle captured by using a camera, which may be a component of thegesture-based game system. Processing may continue from block 500 toblock 510.

At block 510, the gesture-based game system may determine a distancebetween the player and the obstacle in the playing space. In someembodiments, the gesture-based game system may determine the distancebased at least in part on the determined locations of the player and theobstacle. Processing may continue from block 510 to block 520.

At block 520, the gesture-based game system may determine a virtualdistance between an avatar image associated with the player and abarrier image associated with the obstacle. In some embodiments, thegesture-based game system may determine the virtual distance based atleast in part on the distance between the player and the obstacle in theplaying space. For example, the gesture-based game system may determinethe virtual distance in proportion to the distance between the playerand the obstacle. Further, the ratio between the virtual distance andthe distance may vary depending on the game played on the gesture-basedgame system. In some embodiments, the gesture-based game system maydetermine the virtual distance based at least in part on a predeterminedsafety margin, as well as the distance between the player and theobstacle. By way of example, but not limitation, the predeterminedsafety margin may vary depending on the game played on the gesture-basedgame system. Processing may continue from block 520 to block 530.

At block 530, the gesture-based game system may compare the virtualdistance with a predetermined distance limit. By way of example, but notlimitation, the predetermined distance limit may vary depending on thegame played on the gesture-based game system. Processing may continuefrom block 530 to block 540.

At block 540, the gesture-based game system may generate in a displayarea associated with the game the barrier image when the virtualdistance is shorter than the predetermined distance limit. In someembodiments, the gesture-based game system may locate the barrier imageseparated by the virtual distance from the avatar image. The barrierimage may limit the movement of the avatar image, that is, act as a newboundary or borderline for the movement of the avatar image, so as toprevent or avoid the collision between the player and the obstacle.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that, for this and otherprocesses and methods disclosed herein, the functions performed in theprocesses and methods may be implemented in differing order.Furthermore, the outlined steps and operations are only provided asexamples, and some of the steps and operations may be optional, combinedinto fewer steps and operations, or expanded into additional steps andoperations without detracting from the essence of the disclosedembodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates computer program products 600 that may be utilized toprovide a safety scheme for a gesture-based game system in accordancewith at least some embodiments described herein. Program product 600 mayinclude a signal bearing medium 602. Signal bearing medium 602 mayinclude one or more instructions 604 that, when executed by, forexample, a processor, may provide the functionality described above withrespect to FIGS. 1-5. By way of example, instructions 604 may include:one or more instructions for determining a distance between a player ofa game and an obstacle in the proximity of the player in a playingspace; one or more instructions for comparing in a display area avirtual distance between an avatar image corresponding to the player anda barrier image corresponding to the obstacle with a predetermineddistance limit; one or more instructions for generating in the displayarea the avatar image; one or more instructions for generating in thedisplay area the barrier image separated by the virtual distance fromthe avatar image, if the virtual distance is shorter than thepredetermined distance limit. Thus, for example, referring to FIG. 4,gesture-based game system 400 may undertake one or more of the blocksshown in FIG. 5 in response to instructions 604.

In some implementations, signal bearing medium 602 may encompass acomputer-readable medium 606, such as, but not limited to, a hard diskdrive, a CD, a DVD, a digital tape, memory, etc. In someimplementations, signal bearing medium 602 may encompass a recordablemedium 608, such as, but not limited to, memory, read/write (R/W) CDs,R/W DVDs, etc. In some implementations, signal bearing medium 602 mayencompass a communications medium 610, such as, but not limited to, adigital and/or an analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber opticcable, a waveguide, a wired communications link, a wirelesscommunication link, etc.). Thus, for example, program product 600 may beconveyed to one or more modules of gesture-based game system 400 by anRF signal bearing medium 602, where the signal bearing medium 602 isconveyed by a wireless communications medium 610 (e.g., a wirelesscommunications medium conforming with the IEEE 802.11 standard). In someimplementations, program product 600 may be executed on a cloud gameserver or a component of a cloud game system, both of which may becommunicatively coupled to gesture-based game system 400.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device 700that can be utilized to provide a safety scheme for a gesture-based gamesystem in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein. Inthese examples, elements of computing device 700 may be arranged orconfigured for a gesture-based game system. In a very basicconfiguration 702, computing device 700 typically includes one or moreprocessors 704 and a system memory 706. A memory bus 708 may be used forcommunicating between processor 704 and system memory 706.

Depending on the desired configuration, processor 704 may be of any typeincluding but not limited to a microprocessor (μP), a microcontroller(μC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or any combination thereof.Processor 704 may include one more levels of caching, such as a levelone cache 710 and a level two cache 712, a processor core 714, andregisters 716. An example processor core 714 may include an arithmeticlogic unit (ALU), a floating point unit (FPU), a digital signalprocessing core (DSP Core), or any combination thereof. An examplememory controller 718 may also be used with processor 704, or in someimplementations memory controller 718 may be an internal part ofprocessor 704.

Depending on the desired configuration, system memory 706 may be of anytype including but not limited to volatile memory (such as RAM),non-volatile memory (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or any combinationthereof. System memory 706 may include an operating system 720, one ormore applications 722, and program data 724. Application 722 may includeinstructions 726 that may be arranged to perform the functions asdescribed herein including the actions described with respect to thegesture-based game system 400 architecture as shown in FIG. 4 orincluding the actions described with respect to the flow charts shown inFIG. 5. Program data 724 may include gesture-based game data 728 thatmay be utilized for implementing instructions 726 (e.g., barrier imagegeneration). In some examples, application 722 may be arranged tooperate with program data 724 on an operating system 720 such thatimplementations for instructions for a gesture-based game system asdescribed herein.

Computing device 700 may have additional features or functionality, andadditional interfaces to facilitate communications between basicconfiguration 702 and any required devices and interfaces. For example,a bus/interface controller 730 may be used to facilitate communicationsbetween basic configuration 702 and one or more data storage devices 732via a storage interface bus 734. Data storage devices 732 may beremovable storage devices 736, non-removable storage devices 738, or acombination thereof. Examples of removable storage and non-removablestorage devices include magnetic disk devices such as flexible diskdrives and hard-disk drives (HDD), optical disk drives such as compactdisk (CD) drives or digital versatile disk (DVD) drives, solid statedrives (SSD), and tape drives to name a few. Example computer storagemedia may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removablemedia implemented in any method or technology for storage ofinformation, such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data.

System memory 706, removable storage devices 736 and non-removablestorage devices 738 are examples of computer storage media. Computerstorage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD)or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other mediumwhich may be used to store the desired information and which may beaccessed by computing device 700. Any such computer storage media may bepart of computing device 700.

Computing device 700 may also include an interface bus 740 forfacilitating communication from various interface devices (e.g., outputdevices 742, peripheral interfaces 744, and communication devices 746)to basic configuration 702 via bus/interface controller 730. Exampleoutput devices 742 include a graphics processing unit 748 and an audioprocessing unit 750, which may be configured to communicate to variousexternal devices such as a display or speakers via one or more A/V ports752. Example peripheral interfaces 744 include a serial interfacecontroller 754 or a parallel interface controller 756, which may beconfigured to communicate with external devices such as input devices(e.g., keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device,etc.) or other peripheral devices (e.g., printer, scanner, etc.) via oneor more I/O ports 758. An example communication device 746 includes anetwork controller 760, which may be arranged to facilitatecommunications with one or more other computing devices 762 over anetwork communication link via one or more communication ports 764.

The network communication link may be one example of a communicationmedia. Communication media may typically be embodied by computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other datain a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism, and may include any information delivery media. A “modulateddata signal” may be a signal that has one or more of its characteristicsset or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal.By way of example, and not limitation, communication media may includewired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, andwireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), microwave,infrared (IR) and other wireless media. The term computer readable mediaas used herein may include both storage media and communication media.

Computing device 700 may be implemented as a portion of a small-formfactor portable (or mobile) electronic device such as a cell phone, apersonal data assistant (PDA), a personal media player device, awireless web-watch device, a personal headset device, an applicationspecific device, or a hybrid device that include any of the abovefunctions. Computing device 700 may also be implemented as a personalcomputer including both laptop computer and non-laptop computerconfigurations.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particularembodiments described in this application, which are intended asillustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations canbe made without departing from its spirit and scope, as will be apparentto those skilled in the art. Functionally equivalent methods andapparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to thoseenumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from theforegoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intendedto fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosureis to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along withthe full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It isto be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particularmethods, reagents, compounds, compositions or biological systems, whichcan, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminologyused herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodimentsonly, and is not intended to be limiting.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singularterms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from theplural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, termsused herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of theappended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one”or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articlesused to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specificnumber of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, thoseskilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should beinterpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the barerecitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at leasttwo recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in thoseinstances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C,etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the senseone having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “asystem having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not belimited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and Ctogether, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “atleast one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a constructionis intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understandthe convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” wouldinclude but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, Calone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A,B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those withinthe art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting twoor more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, ordrawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities ofincluding one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. Forexample, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include thepossibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are describedin terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize thatthe disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individualmember or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

As will be understood by one skilled in the art, for any and allpurposes, such as in terms of providing a written description, allranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all possible subrangesand combinations of subranges thereof. Any listed range can be easilyrecognized as sufficiently describing and enabling the same range beingbroken down into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths,tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein canbe readily broken down into a lower third, middle third and upper third,etc. As will also be understood by one skilled in the art all languagesuch as “up to,” “at least,” and the like include the number recited andrefer to ranges which can be subsequently broken down into subranges asdiscussed above. Finally, as will be understood by one skilled in theart, a range includes each individual member. Thus, for example, a grouphaving 1-3 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, agroup having 1-5 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells,and so forth.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments ofthe present disclosure have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, and that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.Accordingly, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intendedto be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by thefollowing claims.

1. A method, comprising: determining a location of a player and anobstacle in a playing space; generating, in a display area, an avatarimage associated with the player in the playing space; generating abarrier image associated with the obstacle; determining a distancebetween the player and the obstacle based at least in part on thedetermined location of the player and the obstacle; determining avirtual distance between the avatar image and the barrier image based atleast in part on the determined distance between the player and theobstacle; comparing the determined virtual distance with a predetermineddistance limit; and in response to the determined virtual distance beingless than or equal to the predetermined distance limit, displaying inthe display area the barrier image associated with an obstacle.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the determining the distance includessubtracting a predetermined safety margin from the distance.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the predetermined safety margin variesdepending on a game.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determiningthe virtual distance includes determining the virtual distance inproportion to the determined distance between the player and theobstacle.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein a ratio between thedetermined virtual distance and the determined distance between theplayer and the obstacle varies depending on a game.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the barrier image is immovable during gameplay.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising displaying the barrier image on adisplay device.
 8. A gesture-based game system, comprising: a locationdetermination unit configured to obtain player location information of aplayer and obstacle location information of an obstacle in a playingspace; a distance determination unit configured to determine a distancebetween the player and the obstacle based at least in part on theobtained player location information and the obtained obstacle locationinformation; a virtual distance determination unit configured todetermine a virtual distance between an avatar image associated with theplayer and a barrier image associated with the obstacle based at leastin part on the determined distance; and an image generation unitconfigured to: generate the avatar image in a display area, and inresponse to the virtual distance being less than or equal to apredetermined distance limit, generate the barrier image in the displayarea separated from the avatar image by the determined virtual distance.9. The gesture-based game system of claim 8, further comprising a cameraconfigured to capture an image of the player and the obstacle, whereinthe obtained player location information and the obtained obstaclelocation information are based at least in part on the captured image ofthe player and the obstacle.
 10. The gesture-based game system of claim8, wherein the barrier image is immovable during gameplay.
 11. Thegesture-based game system of claim 8, wherein the virtual distancedetermination unit is further configured to determine the virtualdistance between the avatar image and the barrier image in proportion tothe determined distance between the player and the obstacle.
 12. Thegesture-based game system of claim 11, wherein a ratio between thevirtual distance and the distance varies depending on a game.
 13. Thegesture-based game system of claim 8, wherein the determined distanceincludes subtracting a predetermined safety margin from the determineddistance.
 14. The gesture-based game system of claim 13, wherein thepredetermined safety margin varies depending on a game.
 15. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereoncomputer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause agesture-based game system to perform operations, comprising: determininga distance between a player and an obstacle in a playing space;comparing a virtual distance, based on the determined distance, betweenan avatar image corresponding to the player and a barrier imagecorresponding to the obstacle with a predetermined distance limit;generating the avatar image in a display area; and in response to thevirtual distance being less than or equal to the predetermined distancelimit, generating in the display area the barrier image separated fromthe avatar image by the virtual distance.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the barrier image isimmovable during gameplay.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 15, wherein the predetermined distance limitvaries depending on a game.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 15, wherein the determining the virtual distanceincludes determining the virtual distance in proportion to the distancebetween the player and the obstacle.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the determiningthe distance includes subtracting a predetermined safety margin from thedistance.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 15, wherein the predetermined safety margin varies depending on agame.